Sheffield woman witnesses horror Alton Towers ride crash

Ben Green

A Sheffield woman has captured the aftermath of a crash between two carriages on an Alton Towers rollercoaster this afternoon.

Four people were seriously injured when the accident happened on the Smiler ride just after 2pm.

Helen Critchley, from Sheffield, tweeted a photo of the crashed carriages with the words ‘not what I expected to see today.. 2 carriages crashed into each other on the Smiler!’

It is believed 16 people were involved in the crash, and the air ambulance is at the scene.

An Alton Towers spokesman said: “There has been an incident on the Smiler this afternoon involving two carriages coming together on a low section of the track. One of the carriages was empty and the other had 16 guests in.

“The resort’s fully qualified first responders were on the scene immediately to assist with the evacuation which is ongoing, and the area has been closed to allow for access to emergency services vehicles.

“To ensure the safe and timely evacuation of guests, a platform is being constructed. This will take a few minutes but will enable us to proceed more quickly.

“There will be a full investigation once we have recovered the guests, who are our priority.”